Saudi Crown Prince: PIF to Establish Five Regional Investment Companies

16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
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Saudi Crown Prince: PIF to Establish Five Regional Investment Companies

16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)
16 October 2022, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia meeting in Riyadh. (dpa)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund, announced on Wednesday that the Fund will establish five companies aimed at investing in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Sudan.

The announcement follows the launch of the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC), a wholly owned PIF subsidiary, in August 2022. The six companies aim to invest up to a total of SAR 90 billion (USD 24 billion) in opportunities across various key sectors in each market.

The announcement was made on the second day of the 6th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which is being held in Riyadh, with the participation of leading investors, innovators, and world leaders.

The companies will invest in various key sectors, including but not limited to, infrastructure, real estate development, mining, healthcare, financial services, food and agriculture, manufacturing, telecoms, and technology, among other strategic sectors and industries in each country.

The establishment of the five new companies will contribute to an increase in regional investment opportunities for PIF’s portfolio companies and Saudi Arabia’s private sector, bolstering attractive financial returns over the long term, and creating more avenues for strategic economic collaboration with the private sector in the target countries as well as enabling the Saudi private sector.

These investments by PIF align with the Fund’s strategy, which includes seeking new investment opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa to build lasting strategic economic partnerships and achieve sustainable returns, grow PIF’s Assets Under Management, and diversify Saudi Arabia’s sources of revenue, while underscoring the objectives of Vision 2030.



Gold Stalls as Buoyant US Dollar Keeps Gains in Check

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
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Gold Stalls as Buoyant US Dollar Keeps Gains in Check

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

Gold prices held steady on Tuesday as the US dollar remained near two-month highs, with markets caught between profit-taking and prospects for further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Spot gold was steady at $2,652.72 per ounce at 1108 GMT while US gold futures nudged up 0.1% to $2,669.20.

"We've got a US dollar near two-month highs, higher Treasury yields and also the overwhelming temptation of profit taking as we go towards November after gold's nearly 30% gain so far this year, so in short gold's got some pretty fierce headwinds at the moment," independent analyst Ross Norman said, according to Reuters.

Gold prices hit a record high of $2,685.42 last month, but shed some of those gains as the dollar hovered near a more than two-month peak reached in the previous session, making bullion more expensive for other currency holders.

"Further rate cuts I think will continue to support gold and we'll probably see a fresh all-time high this side of the year end," Norman said.

Currently traders see about an 87% chance of a 25-basis-point cut in November, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Non-yielding gold thrives in a lower interest rate environment.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller called for "more caution" on rate cuts ahead but Fed Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said more rate reductions are likely as the Fed's 2% inflation target looms in sight.

Market participants are also watching out for US retail sales, industrial production data and weekly jobless claims this week.

Spot silver eased 0.1% to $31.14 per ounce. Platinum fell 1.2% to $980.78 and palladium was down 1.8% at $1,011.77.

"Scrap supply (for platinum) has disappointed in recent years, but we see room for a recovery next year. We still expect the platinum market to be under-supplied in 2025," UBS analysts said in an note.